Vanessa Vasquez

Vanessa Vasquez is a Chicana from El Monte, CA and she is the first in her family to attend law school. She had the opportunity to play softball for most of her childhood and visit National Parks throughout the western United States. These experiences instilled in her a love for outdoor activities and an appreciation for diverse ecosystems. She completed her undergraduate education at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), where she double majored in Public Policy and Political Science/Law and Society. At UCR she discovered that she wanted to pursue a career in environmental law with a focus on toxic substances and environmental justice. She is the chair of the Environmental Law Society at the University of California, Irvine School of Law and she is working on pro bono with the Natural Resources Defense Council.